alternative force / making a new line, (2019)

60” x 84” x 30”

stationary groma with cross base, two plaster cast plumb bobs with graphite, rope, dirt and iron ore from my (father’s) house, marking flags, neodymium magnetics 

A groma is a manual surveying tool that uses weighted strings, gravity, and the human eye to lay stakes in alignment with the device. This allows the creation of straight lines and grids over an uneven landscape. The weighted strings are called plumb lines, which are a biblical symbol of righteousness and justice. In a religious sense, to stray from this verticality is to stray from justice and correctness. 

My grandfather was a professional land surveyor in New Mexico and worked to divide and map properties across the state, as well as a devout Christian. The queered line in this piece interrupts the function of the surveying tool and its use in categorizing land and creating private property. It points towards an alternative force that acts against gravity and colonial order while also representing my own attractions and longings for my home, which are entangled with this history.